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Topic: Buchenwald
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Zaklamont
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 5106
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posted 23 July 2005 04:47 AM
re: Buchenwald, my father was liberated there. He spent 2 years in Auschwitz because he was arrested by the French Gestapo in Toulouse for his Resistance activities and then sent off to Poland from the Drancy French concentration camp (located in the Paris area). He ended up in Buchenwald after a forced march in the winter months, starting from Auschwitz IV (Blechammer). This horrible march was engineered because Allied bombers began to hit Auschwitz satellite camps , involved in heavy industrial works (eg. slave labourers worked for German Corporations like Siemens). The Resistance activities he was involved in was helping downed Allied fliers to escape into Spain from southern France. At that time, downed Allied fliers were immediately sent to death camps by Hitler as revenge for carpet bombings of German cities. So, my father helped to save lives, including the lives of RCAF fliers. Unfortunately, his own life was nearly destroyed arising from his experiences in the Auschwitz death camp. Apart from the deep emotional trauma of the experience, he suffered from stomach ulcers arising from his eating grass to overcome hunger and starvation. It's not a lot to ask the Canadian Government (Department of Veterans Affairs) to honour French WW II Resisters for rescuing Canadians from a horrible fate, at , for example, Remembrance Day Ceremonies, or at other fora. Already an NFB documentary was made on Canadian fliers who ended up in death camps; so it's not particularly a big secret for those who should know better. I have already once approached Veterans Affairs with no response on this matter. Recently I approached Victor Rabinovitch , head of the War Museum , about it. He felt it was an issue deserving action, but, so far, he has taken no initiative. I have every intention of continuing my efforts in this matter, as it is a way of remembering... .
From: Ottawa Ontario | Registered: Mar 2004
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